In this week's blog we look at how the Tribute performs for a family that is considering entering the motorhome market. We took the "Diaz" family, Mum Reina, Dad Tomas, Son Leo (11) and Daughter Sol (8) to Camp Bestival in Dorset for 4 days of family festival fun.

Exclusive: Barrel Top Wagons to launch new range at Devon county show

It's been two years since CaravanTimes first came across the traditional showman-inspired, 1930s vintage-designed wagons and boy have the caravans grown!

Back in 2012, a prototype of a 'baby' caravan was the main focus of our desires. But over the years Barrel Top Wagons have been growing and developing.

Company director Jo Henderson informs us that the twin-unit Timber Lodgers were the most popular caravan over the past years.

In fact, the wagons have become so popular that the living wagon that Jo had been residing in, is soon being towed away to a family in Gloucestershire who have bought it.

But with the original towable wagons, living wagons and the two-part moveable structures aside, Barrel Top Wagons is introducing customers to their 'fabnewwagon' just in time for the summer.

The glamorous four berth, hand-crafted luxury wagon will be perfect for living or holiday accommodation.

The Douglas Fir wagons have enough room for four people to sleep in, a tiled deluxe shower and a 'Windy Smithy' wood-burner with oven.

Also included in the fab wagon will be a Hotpoint gas oven, a Bosch 11-litre water heater, dining space, bench seating and mezzanine beds.

A double composting toilet and gas and electric certificates are all included with the gorgeous wagon available for sale at a price of £40,000.

Deliveries can be made within the South-West of England and the structure will be ready to rent out at the beginning of June.

Devon debut

The Devon County Show is on the horizon (22-24 May), so the glamping caravan is currently under construction, preparing to make its grand appearance at the agricultural show.

Glamping caravans are fast becoming an increasingly popular trend across the UK, so we asked Jo Henderson what her initial inspiration was to create glamping caravans for Barrel Top Wagons.

"There has been such a gap in the market for this type of caravans. In the South-West of England, the Shepherd's Hut caravans are increasingly popular. What we want to do is to create similar caravans that have a unique design.

"We have 25 years of carpentry experience and a working knowledge of small spaces, meaning we produce beautiful structures which work both aesthetically and practically, unlike anything else on the market."

CaravanTimes is eagerly anticipating the finished product of the cute, modern caravan after seeing snippets of the beautiful pink wagon posted on the company's Facebook and Twitter pages.

As we wait and count the weeks down, we asked Jo what she will be most excited about for the upcoming launch of the 'fabnewwagon'.

Jo said: "I will be most excited about seeing people's reactions to this striking range of caravans, they really are a thing of wonder and people are just blown away when they see them!

"I'm very proud of Ben's amazing talents to design and create such wonderful products that make people happy."

To take a look inside the upcoming glamping wagon, click on the slide-show below:

The best part about taking your holidays at home here in the UK is the sheer amount you can do with just a short drive from your front door. This past weekend I took advantage of the Caravan and Motorhome Club's Experience Freedom brand and spent the weekend in a yurt.

Life can be, at times, quite stressful. Whether it be something as simple as getting a tad stressed by something at work or even something more serious like issues with a friend or loved one. No matter how small it is these things can cause a dip in your mental health. So to help raise awareness of mental health, it is Mental Health Awareness Week after all, we want to provide some tips to keep calm and relaxed.

There was a time when I had a 1997 Renault Clio, this was in 2006, no electric windows, no power steering, tape deck radio and no air conditioning. Now I am a little bit older and cars are a lot more advanced, and i am not in college, there are certain fittings and fixtures that I couldn't do without. The main one being air conditioning. Something that is becoming a lot more popular as an aftermarket fitting for caravans and motorhomes for a multitude of reasons.

Last year we were part of the judging panel for the Caravan and Motorhome Club Towcar Of The Year Awards. During the testing we were totally blown away by the Volvo XC60 and were delighted that our marks went towards the vote that named this Volvo "The Towcar Of The Year". Now we get the chance to get our hands on one and give a real lift test.